Background: The incidence of tickborne disease has recently increased in the United States, as longer summers and milder winters have led to a surge in tick populations (1). The impact has been most marked in New England, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, particularly in winter (2). Babesiosis is a tickborne illness [...]

Background: Communication failure during patient handoffs is a common cause of harmful medical errors. Therefore, the Joint Commission recommends that healthcare facilities standardize communication during this process. Intrahospital patient transport represents an instance in which it is crucial to have a standardized handoff approach – as patients are monitored less closely, may experience interruptions in [...]

Case Presentation: A 67 year old patient (she/her) with mitral valve prolapse was admitted in mid-August for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. She was at baseline health until 14 days prior to admission, when she developed fever, malaise, and generalized weakness. Outpatient bloodwork revealed new pancytopenia (WBC 3.9 x 10^9/L, Plt 66 x 10^9/L, Hgb 11.2 [...]

Case Presentation: A 75-year-old woman presented to our hospital with general fatigue as her chief complaint. She had experienced fatigue for four days prior to admission and developed a fever three days earlier, prompting her to visit a prior doctor. Initial blood tests revealed leukopenia, and she was prescribed antibiotics and antipyretics. However, as the [...]

Case Presentation: A 56-year-old male presented to the emergency department with acute-onset severe hypotension, light headedness, rash, nausea, and vomiting. He progressed to develop widespread urticaria and facial flushing. He was previously in his normal state of health. He reported eating “meat and potatoes for dinner”. Social history was pertinent for frequent tick exposure as [...]

Case Presentation: A 65-year-old woman with a history of migraines without aura and mild asthma presented to a Wisconsin emergency department with a two-day history of fevers and altered mental status following a five-week stay in Colorado. Symptoms included subjective fevers and urinary incontinence in addition to neurological concerns such as confusion, forgetfulness, and difficulty [...]